Visit The Berry Islands
This is a small chain of islands comprising of 30 islands and cays with a total area of 12 square miles. It's located about 30 miles north-west of Nassau and 147 miles east of Miami, Florida. The total population in the islands is less that 1,000. The name Berry Islands originated because of so many berry trees that are found in the islands here.
Although most of the islands are uninhabited or privately owned by millionaires who usually visit seasonally on their own private yacht, the main settlement of the Berry Islands are at Bullock Harbor of Great Harbor Cay.
Great Harbor Cay is the largest island of all and located at the northern part of the chain. This is where the main airport as well as the main cruise port are located. It has seven miles of serene and secluded sandy beaches running along its coast line. You can walk for miles and likely won't come across a soul.
The most well known of all the beaches at Great Harbor Cay is 'Sugar Beach' which is fringed with high rocks, lovely sandy coves where you can lounge and swim for a full day in exclusivity, and creeks that are full of interesting wildlife. Sugar Beach is often referred as one of the most beautiful spots in the whole of Bahamas.
Road Map Location of The Berry Islands
While there are a lot at Berry Islands for those who like to relax and unwind in a beautiful island away from the crowd, the most frequenters here are the divers and fishermen. Chub Cay located at the southern end of the island chain is known as the Billfish Capital of the Bahamas.
Chub Cay coastline overlooks the 'Tongue of the Ocean' - an abyss which is deeper than a mile and home to large number of fish of different kinds. Some of the usual catches here includes Blue fin tuna, Blue Marlins, snappers, Wahoo, Tiger Fish, Yellowtails etc. Chub Cay too has an airport of its own and a semi private resort which runs full during May and other fishing season.
For divers there are two special spots - the 600ft blue hole at Hoffmann's Cay which is full of oysters, and Mamma Rhoda Rock, a 16ft deep shallow reef located south of Chub Cay which is home to numerous moray eels and crawfish. Snorkeling is also equally good at various islands here.
There are two islands that are privately owned by cruise lines... Little Stirrup Cay (now known as Coco Cay) by Royal Caribbean Cruise line and Great Stirrup Cay by Norwegian Cruise line. Both these small islands are located at the northern tip of Berry Islands and used by the cruise ships for a stopover and allow the passengers to swim and lounge at the lovely white sandy beaches here.
While in Great Stirrup Cay, do not forget to visit the lighthouse here built by Prince William IV in 1863. It is now abandoned though. Little Harbor Cay located south of Great Harbor Cay and Hoffmann's Cay is home to the famous Flo’s Conch Bar and Restaurant. The houses here were built by the original owners of the restaurant in 1930s and 1940s. They stood through the times of strong hurricanes over the years. This shows the skills the owners had in designing and building houses in those days.
There are regular flights from Nassau, Great Bahama and Florida to Great Harbor Cay of Berry Islands. There is also a weekly mailboat service from Nassau. Chartered flight services are also available.
Having reached Berry Islands, you can rent moped, car or golf cart to get around (hotels can easily arrange that for you). There are guesthouses and boutique hotels at Great Harbor Cay. In Chub Cay you will find a resort and also a club (Gecabl Chub Cay Club) for accommodation.
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 By Raj Bhattacharya
Raj, a seasoned travel writer and Bermuda destination expert, has extensive global travel experience. This website reflects his profound insights, garnered over nearly two decades of dedicated findings and research on the island. Raj has assisted countless Bermuda-bound visitors by providing direct, personalized responses to their queries and imparting his wealth of knowledge through this platform. This site serves as an indispensable guide for those seeking informed and reliable insights into Bermuda's treasures.
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